


The Way It Should Be

by Bunebulae



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Post-Canon, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2018-11-09 23:24:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11115084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunebulae/pseuds/Bunebulae
Summary: Machines have a pattern way of behaving. People Don't. Aloy finds this out the hard way.**SPOILERS, PLEASE FINISH THE GAME BEFORE READING**Slowest of slow burns because I like to write people being painfully oblivious of their own and each other's feelings. Eventual explicit happenings, but it's not the main focus.





	1. Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well! This is the first work I've ever published! (Please be gentle)  
> I know this chapter is super short but I hope that it's good enough for you to continue reading - may be a couple days up to a week before chapter two (which probably most of that time will be spent deciding on what to name the damn thing) but I do promise it will be way longer than this one, trust me I have so many ideas and simply just not enough time tonight to start getting into them but I want to post something! I also desperately need someone to beta read for me or something, just to make sure everything flows well enough to actually publish - I can't look at my own work without being overly critical. (ಥ⌣ಥ)
> 
> I was incredibly inspired by this game to start writing again and especially after reading Wanderwoman1's fic Journeys Toward Dawn (if you haven't read it yet I recommend you do; http://archiveofourown.org/works/10801140/chapters/23963031 ). So thank you Wanderwoman1 and thank you for reading thus far! I'll probably end up posting silly things down these bits so don't expect a lot of indepth soul talking about the characters :)

The sun had risen on a new day. People throughout the lands rejoiced when they saw light filter through the early morning clouds. Others however let the crushing reality of the battle finally weigh upon their shoulders as they sank to the ground, grieving the loss of loved ones or loved possessions alike. For those who were too numb or thought themselves too strong to have these moments of reflection began to think of ways to rebuild; ways to try and salvage anything they could before they would even think to replace. Those who were trapped were rescued and those who hid reemerged to find a broken city, ruins of what they once lived in and had. There were emergency groups swarming around the Maizelands and inside Meridian itself, picking those who were wounded or covering the ones who hadn't survived. Many had perished in the battle and the vast village below the city looked the picture definition of carnage; rubble, flame, bodies. So many bodies. Soldiers and volunteers alike lined the corpses in rows and covered them with a large tent to shield them from the sun to allow friends and family and even strangers to identify and mourn before anything else could be done. The wailing of grief stricken citizens could be heard long and wide from the source. This marked the end of the apocalypse. The war was one and all battles ceased. Machines were still and quiet, not a single one moving. It seemed HADES was vanquished for good. 

After she had rejoiced with the others that the evil that plagued them had been defeated, she felt herself immediately shut down and she crumpled, the world turned black. Aloy couldn't quite make sense of anything when she had finally regained consciousness. By this point it was already half way through into the next day and efforts were well under way to gain back what the machines had taken away. She stirred, mumbling and reaching out groggily when she felt a soft hand press on her shoulder gently;

"Please, do not attempt to rise. We do not know the strain your body is under at present." This voice was soft and entirely unfamiliar causing her to frown, and to open her eyes. The pain that slowly faded into notice was unbelievable and was so unlike anything she had ever experienced that it was as if her mind had rejected the thought so violently it made her whole body heave, this only caused for her muscles to cry out and her throat constrict painfully, a strangled groan sounding from her. The room was spinning in red and she thought for a moment the world was still on fire.

" _Please_ , try to stay as still as possible." the voice urged, its other hand holding down her other shoulder. It was definitely a woman speaking to her, but again, she did not know who. Aloy made to speak but found the couldn't. Her throat was so dry and it was as if she hadn't even uttered a word in her years of living. She felt her hands twitch to move to her throat, but her arms denied her movement and her eyes lolled from side to side in her skull. Nothing made sense, everything was suffocating and her stomach was turning and tumbling like an Olympic gymnast. Something cool rested upon her forehead and anchored her down. Focusing on the feeling of the cold damp, she managed to regain control of her eyes and let them roam around her surroundings. It was definitely red where she was, but not from fire. Fine silks covered the window where she could see the main source of light was shining from, casting the room in an angry glow. The walls were light, tinted by the curtains but she could tell they were a very pale cream or as close to white as possible. The thin fabric covering her body up to her armpits was also red and felt so smooth she felt it impossible for a fabric to be like this. Her arms were over the fabric and were bare, she noticed letting them move gently across the the silken sheet. Her breath came to her raggedly and ground at her inside like her throat was made of sandpaper and sounded like the harsh winds through a crack in the door. A figure moved to her left and held a small cup to her lips, letting the tiniest stream of water trickle into her mouth to which she greedily swallowed until the container was empty. Dark furniture contrasted with glittering golden trinkets which adorned almost everything she could see, her vision sharpening as she completely woke up. She turned her head slowly towards the figure to her left. A tall, olive skinned woman with curious markings near her eyes busied herself with some herbs and liquids on the table next to Aloy's bed. 

"Where-"

"The King requested for you to be looked after in the palace. He said it was the least he could do for you after everything you have done for everyone else. I am your healer." Her healer? That's weird, she didn't need her own healer all she needed was a good couple of days rest and she'd be as good as new - nothing unlike usual! From the way her body creaked and groaned, complaining against her wishes of movement caused a small spark of doubt to light in her head. She couldn't quite move properly without feeling like she was being stabbed with lots of fiery needles. The King had requested for her to be looked after in the palace? Why would Avad do that? She saw no reason for him to go to the trouble of doing that just for her. Her head throbbed and she groaned again, scrunching up her eyes. Something was placed against her lips again and she opened her mouth, feeling another cool liquid trickling down which definitely was not water. 

"Please, Aloy, get some more rest. You have to recover until you can at least move without being in pain." She supposed the healer was right. She was of no use to anyone if she couldn't even make sense of the room she was in. Resigning herself to not arguing against the healer, she nodded as gently as possible and sighed, letting sleep cloud her consciousness once more.

* * *

There were a few days of the same routine. Wake in pain and confusion, gain consciousness, meet another healer, have more medicine, drink water maybe eat, go back to sleep. It was tiresome and just repeating the same thing over and over again and she started to get more agitated the more times she woke up. It was her fifth or sixth time waking that she hadn't felt any desire to return to sleep. She moved her body and allowed herself to sit up fully able to ignore the dull aches that rumbled through her.

"Ah, you are awake." Her eyes flicked over to the door to find a few familiar faces standing there with relived looks on their faces.

"Have been a few times so far." Her words sounded harsher than they were meant but Avad did not flinch, clearly used to her dry humour. He merely laughed heartily, throwing his arms wide and approaching her, taking a seat on her right.

"I see your humor has not left you!" Avad's eyes seemed to twinkle with glee and if his grin did not show it she was sure his eyes would have. She felt a smile stretch on her own face and she shook her head. Another figure stepped through the door frame and closed the door behind them, she turned her head to look at who it was and her eyes fell on Erend's. It was as if time had stalled a little, and she could see the worry on his face smooth out into one of pure relief before he too grinned, moving to her left side and sitting down on a chair that was left there. "We came to see you since you have been resting a few days." the Sun King continued, looking between herself and Erend, who had not broken eye contact. "How are you feeling?" he pressed, covering her hand with his own. She broke away from Erend and turned to look at Avad, her brain catching up with his words and she nodded,

"Fine. Great, really. Although I haven't been able to leave my bed yet." At this she frowned softly, staring at the hands that covered hers "I want to start walking around - help where I can if possible." At this both Erend and Avad sighed and it was Erend this time who spoke,

"Aloy, we thought you said that. Which is why-"

"- _Which_ is why I am appointing Erend to be your personal guard around the city. There have been a few attacks from lingering Shadow Carja who seek to damage further while we are still broken." At her confused expression, he continued. "I do not doubt your capabilities, but in your more than current fragile state I am making sure you are protected. And my dear Captain of the Vanguard was my obvious best choice for this." For some unknown reason they had made this decision without consulting her approval and this greatly irked her. Feeling a twinge of annoyance, she looked from Avad to Erend to find that thought halted when she had saw how proud he looked and the way his chest had puffed out slightly - like a child seeking praise.

"Okay... There's been a few attacks?" Erend nodded, 

"The Shadow Carja are extremely few, but immediately after the battle was done, they tried to take advantage of our grief. Trying to kick a city that was on its knees." He spat the last sentence out with laced bitterness through it. She felt Avad's hands leave hers as he reclined in his chair. 

"Yes, but there have been less and less reports of this - but it does not hurt to stay vigilant." Always a diplomatic answer. "Aloy, the healers say that tomorrow you will be allowed to walk Meridian, but they have advised me that you will need check ups routinely to allow for you to keep on healing." She understood what this meant immediately, do not go outside Meridian. It was more of a warning than a request she felt, and so she decided to heed this. "I will arrange for you to use Olin's previous residence. I trust you know your way there?"

"What if she needs help during the night?" Erend immediately interjected before Aloy could give an answer. Avad seemed to consider this possibility and nodded resolutely.

"I will arrange a live-in healer for now-"

" _I'm sure,_ " Aloy interrupted "I can look after myself. I have been up until a couple of days ago." The silence lingered slightly before she continued. "I don't need a live-in healer, and I'm pretty sure nothing will happen in the middle of the night that hasn't happened-"

"Erend is right Aloy-"

"Well if Erend is so right why doesn't he look after me? I refuse to have a live-in healer." Resolute in her conviction, she missed the way that Erend's eyebrows had raised and stared straight at Avad, who seemed to be very amused at her suggestion. 

"Well. I don't see a problem with that suggestion. Do you, Erend?" 

"No! No, of course not. I'd be more than happy to welcome Aloy as a guest." She thought that Erend spoke quicker than he should have, seemingly flustered by this suggestion but she couldn't think of a reason why. Maybe it was too brash to suggest it so suddenly. Oh well, what was done was done and there was no taking it back now.

"Excellent!" Avad shot up from his chair, clapping his hands together with a large grin. "Erend" he nodded at his Captain, "Aloy" he nodded towards her also "I will leave you two to make arrangements for tomorrow. A healer will be here soon with food for the both of you." At this, her stomach sang with pure unbridled joy, which caused colour to rise to her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Thank you Avad, for everything."

"No Aloy, it is I who should be thanking you." he closed the door gently behind him, leaving the two in a still, comfortable silence.

 


	2. Be Prepared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another little slow one before things start to happen. Enjoy.

Days turned into weeks as time ticked on and a comfortable routine developed between them both. In the morning they wake, eat breakfast together and separate ways; Erend to do his vanguard duties and patrol Meridian’s borders and the palace entrance, and Aloy to hunt for the evening, pick off any loose machines wandering too close to the settlements and help out all those in need. They would then at night meet back at Erend’s home, eat again and discuss their day, then either going to the tavern for a few drinks or going off to bed after a while. It comforted her to have a semblance of normality back in her life - or what she had even envisioned normality to be like - and she savoured it with every waking moment; but something was itching at her for adventure. Something inside her craved to go travelling again to see what she could find or battle bigger, meaner machines.

She never did stray too far away from the Maizelands as she feared it would wake some worry inside Erend for her safety - he always did seems to worry about her when she wasn’t present with him. It was endearing in way, to think that he thought of her so often and so closely. An arrow was let loose from her bow, the wind pushing backwards off of it to allow the projectile to gain speed and spear a watcher right in the centre of it’s eye’s lense. The machine convulsed and trilled harshly, falling to the ground in an electrifying spasm. This alerted another nearby watcher to the sound and its eye turned amber, stalking its way over to its fallen kind. Aloy’s mind however was elsewhere at this moment, thinking of what Erend would be doing at this moment - probably reporting into Avad on every move he knew she would be taking. Scoffing lightly, she crept in the tallgrass over to the preoccupied watcher tilting its glowing eye curiously at the husk laying on the ground. Just as she was nearing behind the machine, it twitched directly upwards, exposing its neck to her spear as she plunged it deep inside the machine, just as quickly retracting it and pivoting on one foot to return back to the hidden sanctity of the brush. 

The loud whirring and clanking of a nearby shellwalker echoed in her ears as she scanned the area around her before pinpointing the huge beast. To her left she could see a small red glow, pulsating and ticking away. Ugh, stalkers. She reminded herself of all the sticky situations she had with those particular annoyances and cursed their ability to turn almost invisible (if not for the faint rippling in the backdrop where their bodies actually were) and made a mental note to stay as far from the sensors as possible. Just as she thought this however, one stepped into view as if shedding a cloak of invisibility and shook itself akin to a dog shaking water from its fur. It seemed to scan the area for movement and after deciding that nothing was of interest, returned to its stealth mode. A breath she didn’t realise she was holding released from her chest as she sagged into a crouching position. Aloy knew there was one more watcher, a shell walker and what she could guess as two stalkers in the area, but how to take out two stalkers at once concerned her. Where one was, the other would closely follow. She decided she would take out the shellwalker first and see where it went from there.

From her vantage point in the grass, she lay down some detonating explosive tripwires (3 in a row, for good measure) and dashed across the path to a new patch. She nocked her bow with a precision arrow and waited for the hunking machine to amble its way closer to her. Sticking two fingers in each side of her mouth, she blew sharply, alerting the attention of the shellwalker only. Curious, the machine hobbled its way towards her position, tripping each of the three wires she had set down before standing at full height and launching the final blow between the poor thing’s eyes and taking it completely out, its storage container rolling from its lifeless corpse. The watcher was next, and she didn’t even spare a second thought into drawing two arrows and propelling them both into the watcher’s eye, pleased with the satisfying thud it made when it fell. 

Now the two stalker only remained. She decided to climb a nearby tree and wait out in its branches. She scanned the area and saw no sign of any machine and sighed, instead trying to pinpoint those little pulsating sources of bleeping light. She nocked a normal arrow and set it off on one of the lights, making it burst into a spectacular fiery ball of warning. This made the nearby machines run to spot, investigating on high alert. She then nocked a tearblast arrow and aimed it roughly where she thought was the machine’s head, letting it pulse and blast off the machine’s stealth components letting it become clear to her eyes. Smirking to herself, she cooly called the creature over to her, letting it stroll under her cautiously before jumping down from her vantage point, landing point-down on the now lifeless beast. This definitely caused the second stalker to pound its way over to her, brushing off its stealth in favour of attacking her, but just as it pounced, she swiftly brought her blade to the underside of its skull, effectively taking it out before it could strike. It was heavy though, and it collapsed on her, almost wedging her between all the metal. 

After tearing out all of its most expensive parts, she trudged her way back to meridian, clanking with each step. She heard lots of hushed whispers following her around - something she wasn’t bothered about - but she chose to ignore their words, positive or not, and continued on to the merchants who she knew would pay top shard for her harvest. On her way over to them however, she spied Erend in the crowd, scanning the area with that slightly squinted, worrisome expression on his face which she had grew to accept and find endearing. Thinking it best to take care of her business with him rather than avoiding, she strolled over;

“Looking for someone, Captain?”

“Aloy! Funny I should find you here, what a surprise.” he beamed at her as she approached, his sentence laced so thick with sarcasm it made her grin “Tell me, do you come here often?”

“Oh, not really, every so often I find myself wandering through.” she traced little footsteps up his folded arm and pushed his upper arm slightly when he snorted at her.

“Seriously! Who are you looking for?” her grin had turned into a face splitting smile at this point and she even laughed a little at his look of ‘really, you even need to ask that?’ “Okay, okay. What can I do you for o’ Captain of the Vanguard Sir?” she asked oh so properly, even bowing slightly at the waist to emphasise her fakeness.

“Well concerned citizen, I’m glad you have asked!” he replied, puffing his chest out and standing at full height (which made her realise just how tall he actually was compared to her) “Your humble highness, the 14th Sun King Avad wishes your audience in his palace along with myself and a few of my best men.”

“ _ Me? _ ” she feigned surprise, holding a one hand to her chest and another to her open, wide eyed, slack jawed mouth “Whatever could  _ King Avad _ want with little old  _ me _ ?” if it wasn’t for the devious snicker on her face, she could’ve fooled at least a few people with her little act. “I need to sell some stuff before I go - care to accompany Mr. Strong Vanguardsman Sir?” she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

“Since you asked so nicely, I’ll have to accept.” he nodded resolutely, letting her lead the way and even whistling in appreciation when she emptied her loot to the merchant - who paid her a pretty penny for the scraps - and even congratulated her on her skill like he hadn’t seen it a million times before. “You know, it still amazes me how expert you are at fighting these machines. I mean, I know they’re not as vicious as they used to be since you took down that devil machine that day, but still. You’re just amazing, Aloy.” That little offhanded comment made her heart flutter slightly and a slight tinge of pink rose on her cheeks.

“It’s simple really. Just a pattern.” she assured, kicking a few stones as she walked, the plentiful shards clinking away in her pockets. “Anyway, what does Avad want? Hopefully no meetings with nobles or anything - I don’t think I could do that.” she rambled, not really paying mind if Erend wanted to answer, but he didn’t. He quite enjoyed listening to her talk herself out of thought, he found it amusing and relaxing. He knew that she would talk herself both in and out of holes all the way there. Funnily enough they arrived at the gates, Aloy still running through every possibility of what Avad had planned for them. “You don’t think he’s going to send us somewhere is he? What if it’s an escort mission? What if-”

“We could let him tell us, eh?” Erend asked, raising one eyebrow and she seemed to consider this as an option and not as what needs to be done before nodding.

“You’re right - look we’re almost there!” and she sped up, marching her way over to the blameless Marad and greeting him like an old friend, but making sure not to be overly friendly with him - ‘this can be seen as highly unprofessional, Madam’, she could hear the man say - and he beamed at her.

“Ah, Miss Aloy, Captain Erend. This way, this way, the King is eager to speak with you both.” He ushered the way to Avad’s usual place of meet and greets and the King thanked him, waving him away.

“Thank You, Marad. Aloy! Erend! I have much to discuss with you both!”

A very, very long time was spent going over everything that had happened both leading up to and after what was now named ‘The Spire Battle’ and Avad had made sure that they knew every detail about what had happened. Being King enabled him to just talk for ages without interruption - and he was good at it - but being around Erend and Aloy made him realise that he had to make his point soon or his whole speech was lost on them. Erend was already beginning to shift from foot to foot and some ceiling decorations had caught Aloy’s attention.

“ _ And as you both know _ ” The King coughed, stressing his next sentence “I am very much a believer in our clans and tribes coming together and working as part of a bigger team.” He smiled down at Aloy who nodded back, “Which, is why I need to ask you both one of the biggest favours I have asked.” This piqued Aloy’s interest immediately and she subconsciously stood straighter and looked Avad in the eyes, curious to know what he had to say now. “I am asking you both to go to Nora land and try to establish a deeper connection between them and the Carja.” A small frown formed on Aloy’s expression.

“And you think that’s a good idea?” she asked, looking at him suspiciously.

“Of course! If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be asking!” he laughed heartily, sweeping forward and putting a hand on Aloy’s right shoulder. “I think it would be best for both tribes if they opened their gates to others.” He gave her another meaningful look. She knew deep down the Nora would probably benefit more from it and come out of their slightly backwards way of thinking while still keeping their ‘sacred traditions’. And, the Carja can stop viewing them as savages and actually respect them as people if they saw how beautiful Nora Land actually was -  _ and  _ the great care and pride the Nora take in the embrace. As she was thinking this over, Avad searched her eyes for any semblance of her agreeing with him. She didn’t particularly want to go back to Nora land and be amongst those who had so hated her for all of her life. But, at the same time she supposed she couldn’t run away forever, and she had people she wanted to see - and Rost to visit. 

Erend was silent, he watched the two stay like that, staring at each other for a long time and started to grow more uneasy by the minute. Why were they just staring at each other? Like nothing else was in the room? He was right there! At the bottom of his chest, a hot burning hand wrenched at his throat, which made him clear his throat a little louder than intended. 

“Well, Aloy?” he asked, keeping his discomfort aside to make sure that she herself was okay. The redhead turned and looked at him, worry and determination swimming in her expression, if he didn’t know better he would’ve said that Avad had hurt her with the suggestion to go back to Nora land. He was about to mention it before she snapped back round to Avad and nodded.

“I’ll go. Erend doesn’t have to - he has too many duties here, it’s not fair to ask him to make that journey-” Avad waved a hand to cut her off, and it worked, but that was because she was confused at him waving his hand infront of her.

“Erend, do you wish to accompany Aloy in her mission?” there was a laugh somewhere in that sentence, but he was hiding it with such expertise that it was almost lost. Erend simply nodded, solid on his decision. Where Aloy would go, Erend would follow. She meant too much to potentially die in the wilds on her own - and he knew she wouldn’t but it doesn’t hurt to be careful. There  _ was _ a reason he was Avad’s most trusted to be Captain after Ersa. “Then the decision is made! You both will go to Nora land - to the High Matriarchs I believe they’re called?” he asked Aloy, who nodded in confirmation “And try to establish a better connection between the Sundom and the Nora. Excellent!” he beamed, clapping his hands together. “I shall prepare a few things for your leaving - I will leave them at your home Erend this evening for your departure tomorrow.” and with that they were politely dismissed from the throne room. 

The walk back to Erend’s was silent, but not uncomfortable. Aloy had a lot of things to run over in her mind, but not aloud and Erend let her swim in her own thoughts, gently guiding her through the city until they ended up at his home. He opened the door and gestured her inside, to which she smiled greatly at him and went straight to the sofa, sitting with her legs crossed in a basket and sorted her jumbled thoughts into lines. 

“Okay, so.” she began, shifting to get comfortable “We’re to go to Nora land, talk to the high matriarchs to what? Ask them to let Carja in once in awhile?” she frowned at Erend who chuckled and shook his head,

“No, to allow for better communication between the two tribes. The Nora are so isolated as a people, Avad wants to make sure they know they are welcome to his city with open arms - no reason or fear of judgement.” 

“I don’t think Avad quite understands the Nora’s view on leaving the Embrace.” she quipped back before settling down, trying to think a way around it. There had to be something… “That’s it!” she exclaimed, bouncing up and causing Erend to drop the pan he was holding. “I’m the anointed one, right?” she grinned at Erend, who nodded slowly, not quite understanding her. “I speak to for All-Mother.” again, he nodded, not quite there yet, “I can convince them it’s All-Mother’s wish to broaden their horizons and meet with people from other tribes - to love and accept all as All Mother does! I’m a genius Erend!” she was so pleased with herself, she dashed around to him, taking his arm and spinning him around sharply (he let himself be guided in a circle by her) and she laughed “Also, I can do a few things while I’m there! Visit Varl, Teb, High Matriarch Teersa and Rost.” Her face fell just an inch when she had mentioned her carer’s name. She wanted to take care of a few things at the lodge, make sure things were nice for him there. Erend smiled at her, causing her to look hastily away from him, “That is if you're okay with doing that.”

“Of course, I'm curious to see what it's like when there’s no threat of death and destruction - and trying to keep you savages from killing dear King Avad’s precious sun priest.” The Oseram laughed seeing Aloy’s dramatic eye roll and they continued on with their nightly routine. There was some boar meat from yesterday's hunt so Erend (the residential chef) cooked them up a meal that would make even Avad’s mouth water. She didn't know how he did it and each night she continued to watch him in wonder as he masterfully cut vegetables, sliced meat, minced garlic and herbs and just created such wonderful concoctions. Aloy wasn't sure that she had ever had anything like it before - and she was glad she did now, although she made a mental note that such luxuries couldn't be afforded in their travels, so this made her savor her dinner even more, causing Erend to flush at how much she seemed to be enjoying herself. Her eyes had closed and a low, barely audible but pleased noise rose from her throat. He couldn't shake the thought of making her do that more, so he took to aggressively eating the thoughts away - which honestly didn't work. 

It was some time later into the evening a loud knock sounded at the door, Aloy and Erend spared each other a look and then he reluctantly pulled himself from the sofa and answered it, bare footed, bare chested but with pyjama bottoms on. Aloy peered over the couch to watch him approach the door, his muscles moving underneath his skin in an organised, almost mechanical way. He had no shame, and besides why wouldn't he want to show Aloy what he's got huh? On the other side of the door however was reality, and it was in the form of some of the king's servants accompanied by Marad. 

“Ah, Erend, apologies for coming at a seemingly inconvenient time?” The sentence was posed as a question, with a slight quirk of his eyebrow and gesture to the Oseram’s half naked body. 

“Not at all Marad. I take it these are Avad’s ‘preparations’?” He asked, gesturing to the backpacks filled with the finest carja weaponry and dry food that would last them at least a week’s travel for each of them. In a larger backpack, a large spiked club and what looked like sharp knuckle dusters resting on top for rather large hands and in the smaller backpack, so many arrows of varying kinds and what looked to be throwing knives peeking out of a side pocket. He was seriously underestimating the meaning of ‘a few things’ for them and Erend felt a wash of gratefulness for the King. He was so different to his father, so caring of his people and to almost strangers. Such an admirable trait. Marad smiled knowingly at watching Erend’s reaction and at seeing Aloy’s shocked expression when she had finally arisen from the sofa when she saw the two packs, each of them also equipped with a rolled up bed mat at the top of it. 

“I will send the Sun King your thanks in the morning for he has retreated to his duties before turning in for the night. I personally wish you both well in your journeys and may the sun guide your path both in the fiery day and the coolest night by moon glow.” And with that, Marad left as quickly as he had come, leaving them to digest the knowledge of the journey ahead. They spared each other a look and agreed it would be best to get an early night. And so they completed their otherwise unspoiled routine by retreating up the stairs and Erend’s almost offer of sharing his bed with Aloy catching in his throats and appearing as a strangled good night as she retreated into a spare room. Once again Erend fell asleep that night cursing his lack of courage and Aloy fell to the whirring thoughts of adventure with Erend in her future. It was one of the best nights of sleep she's ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so sos ossosososos so much to MightyLauren because I would not have been able to a) bring this out as quickly and b) make it sound nice and sensical without her!! Thank you Lauren! 
> 
> When writing chapters I always have colours associated with them. I don't know if I mentioned in the previous chapter notes but I was thinking angry, smoldering red. In this one it's a more warmer amber glow. Comforting! I may start to include more things down here but I don't know if that would help. I listened to mainly Greenday's newest album and NSP during this because I can draw on their music for inspiration to write, draw etc. I may start doing wee illustrations to go with these chapters who knows - not me tho. 
> 
> Be good!


	3. River Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some plot movement!

“I have an idea.” This was not something Erend wanted to hear first thing in the morning. Definitely not, because ideas meant putting effort into something and effort was a big no no for him, especially so early in the morning. He grunted a response and continued trodding around his home looking for things he thought he would need for the journey ahead. He really should have packed the night before but he was way too busy peacocking about to think about that. He could hear Aloy’s eye roll at his lack of response.

“I want to find another Thunderjaw.” She had to stifle her snicker at his surprise, as he had dropped his helmet in the process. Erend turned to look at her, trying to determine if she was crazy.

“You want to find a Thunderjaw?” She was definitely crazy. Maybe living in the wilds meant she didn't have something quite wired right. A small frown danced across her expression,

“Don't look at me like that. Yes, a Thunderjaw, do you know how much we’d get for that? Plus!” She chirped, bouncing in front of him and out of the door of his bedroom “I want a challenge!” Yep. Crazy. He shook his head and gathered his things, dragging it down into the seating area and dumping it in the middle of the floor.

“And a Thunderjaw is the only thing that will present a challenge to you?” He asked, eyebrow quirked.

She shot him a smirk, turning around to face him and resting her fists on her hips.“Is that fear I'm detecting, Captain?”

At this jibe, he stood at full height and puffed out his chest. “Fear? I am fearless.”

“Oh, really now? Doesn't sound like it,” she said.

Outside changed from dull greys and blues into brilliant oranges and yellows, a few pinky streaks bursting into the skies above. Her mischievous expression changed into a look of serenity as she watched some birds dance across the sky, singing their calls of pure joy. She felt him standing behind her and turned her head to look at him, grinning. “Today's going to be a good day.”

Making sure that everything they needed was packed and ready to go, they made their very last preparations for the journey ahead. Ensuring that Erend's place was locked behind them, they set out leaving Meridian in their wake.

* * *

 

There was a slight tinge of pink across the land as they progressed, accenting the orangey red of the rocks of the world they were walking through. It was almost beautiful, if you didn’t count the endless supply of machines that still prowled the land. They still existed even after the Spire battle, but they just now weren’t as quick to attack you. Well, most of the machines anyway. They made sure to keep an eye out for anything that crossed their path as they trudged through desert, protected by headscarves given in appreciation by the Carja in Meridian - at Avad’s request of course. She spared a furtive glance at him and stifled a snicker snicker at his florally clad head.

"Oh think it's funny, do ya?" he grumbled, bouncing his pack up slightly in annoyance "At least I'm protected from this god-awful sun." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of his masculinity and not her.

"Okay, Orchid." That earned her a disgruntled bird flipping, to which she snorted in reply. Nearby they heard the metallic squawking of a Glinthawk and Aloy's head snapped up to the source of the sound, seeing the swirling circle of four flying creatures in the sky. "Fuck," she hissed, grabbing his arm and pointing them out. They had to find cover, quick. Fighting Glinthawks in the middle of the day from the ground was not the wisest of ideas - first of all, the sun would blind you, second of all, it was good to be on a vantage point to deal with these bastards. They ducked under a overhanging rock and immediately felt relief from the blazing sun in the coolness of the shade it provided. "Here's the plan." she crouched, drawing her bow, precision arrows at the ready. "I go up high, shoot them to the ground. You crush them with your hammer." His eyes lit up at her sentence, drawing his hammer off of his back and readying it in his hands, nodding.

“I’m gunna crush those birds.” His determination made her smile, and she quickly darted out from under the rock, climbing the nearest surface possible. He watched her, an uncomfortable feeling welling in the pit of his stomach when he saw her jumping from shaky looking hand-hold to precarious looking ledge until she finally scrambled her way up to the top. He then focused on the circling machines, ready to charge out and bring his hammer down with full force. She stayed crouched at the top of the rock, aiming her arrow and releasing it into one of the Glinthawk’s freeze sac, causing it to explode, freezing itself and catching the others with its freeze liquid.

The completely frozen bird plummeted to the ground, and landed near a waiting Erend who rushed in and swung his hammer up, bringing it down with a sickening metal grinding noise as it disintegrated the Glinthawk’s would-be skull. One down, three to go. She almost didn’t catch the machine hurling an icy projectile her direction, but she saw something move in her peripheral vision and was able to quickly rolled backwards. Simultaneously she drew two arrows and launched them into the Glinthawk’s body, causing it to falter and flap to the ground, where Erend crushed that one too. Their teamwork was impeccable, flawlessly handing off the machines from her to him.

Aloy had completely stopped paying attention to the remaining machines, having been distracted by Erend, a Glinthawk managed to come flying at her and push her to the ground, ripping her clothes slightly. Grunting in pain, she drove her spear upwards, skewering the machine and tossing it to the ground below to Erend. Puffing and panting, she launched a perfect shot into the remaining Glinthawk, killing it in the air and causing it to crash to the ground in a heap. Just to make sure it was actually dead however, the Oseram brought his hammer down onto its lifeless body. She let go of a breath she had been holding and grinned, throwing her bow onto her back and clambering down the rocks to join him amongst the mini graveyard - the once noisy sky relatively silent.

“You were great,” she grinned at him, holding his arm and squeezing gently. His face burned brilliantly as he puffed out his chest,

“Yeah I was, but come on - look at what you did!” He threw his arm around her shoulders and squeezed hard, nearly knocking the air from her. Wheezing slightly, she grinned up at him, her gaze lasting a second too long before shoving him back playfully and detaching herself from him.

“Help me lift these up so I can get the parts out of them,” and so he did what he was told. She ripped some crystal braiding from the annoyance of a machine’s corpse, scavenged their lenses and pulled some bits and bobs from them for selling later. She wrapped all of this up in bundles and stuffed them into her backpack.

Erend simply just watched her in amazement - was there honestly no bounds to her brilliance? Erend thought not as he tossed the carcass away, dusting himself off and casting his gaze over eastwards. There was a strange rumbling from that direction and he frowned, brow furrowing and nose scrunching up in sort of a snarl. Whatever it was didn’t sound good what so ever. The loudest mechanical screeching he had ever heard ripped through the atmosphere, almost confirming his suspicions instantly, the immense flapping and sounds of jet engines whirring into sudden life.

Clouds gathered in a dark, angry purple cluster above them and they crackled with energy, little shoots of lightning licking the earth below. Internally cursing, he looked down at Aloy, who seemed to be planning something already, he could see it on her face. It was probably in that moment that something clicked in his brain. He couldn’t quite quantify it, but something definitely seemed different with the way he looked at her now. Just that instantaneous switch from easy-going, grinning and laughing with him, stripping parts out of machines and then go into a cool, calculating methodical frame of mind. It was admirable how easily she went into battle mode without thinking - that could always be a life-saver. The bruised sky roared in contempt as the Stormbird ascended, screeching like an amplified mechanical banshee. The two exchanged a look and nodded.

“Same as before?” Erend asked.

“Same as before, but with more caution. These things are way tough so don’t get too close until you know it’s safe to do so.” Erend snorted at her warning, rolling his shoulders and craning his neck so the joints all cracked and popped. Her reproachful look towards him did make him reconsider charging the beast straight away, instead he found himself hanging back a little, all the while knowing he’d jump in when he was needed.

Using the same system as before, she climbed up to a high place, aiming her tearblast arrows with the utmost precision, releasing three at a time on to each one of the huge bird’s jets - just out of its eyeshot so it didn’t start attacking her. Jet after jet flew off of the beast as it squawked angrily, turning about in its blind confusion. She decided to get a bit closer, drawing a precision arrow and ducking behind a large rock. It had been a while since the fight first started, and a light film of sweat coated her full body, making her glisten in the light provided by lightning striking the earth around them.

Erend watched her suck in a deep breath, letting it out of her, before drawing in another, longer breath and darting out from behind the rock, gaining speed and drawing the Stormbird’s attention before dropping and sliding along the ground, her breath leaving her as time slowed. She unleashed an arrow into one of the creature’s eyes, and as the machine reeled in what he could only assume was pain (if they felt pain, that is) she nocked another two of the same arrows and unleashed it into its breastplate, causing the massive machine to crumple to the ground, stunned slightly.

This was his time and he almost missed it! Tearing away from the rock at lightning speed, he drew his massive warhammer above his head, bringing it down on it as he skidded to a halt, the momentum of his swing carrying him slightly. Although the bird’s skull was considerably damaged, it still stirred, causing him to have to wrench his hammer from the beast. As it raised its battered head, Erend was frozen on the spot, fear of this machine taking over him. Its massive beak snapped at him, and if he hadn’t reacted last second because of her scream, his stomach would have opened, but just in time he turned himself out of his position, the creature only managing to rip his breastplate off of him.

Erend stumbled backwards as he felt someone grabbing his shoulders, forcing him down and then he saw Aloy, jumping over him, like a majestic frog and bringing her spear down, squarely in between the Stormbird’s eyes, grunting and yelping in pain when electricity rippled through her as the great machine short-circuited. His body moved on its own as he steadied his footing and grasped her hips with such severity it could've caused bruising and ripped her away from the machine, pulling her on top of him as they fell backwards. They stayed like that for minutes, Erend panting in frozen panic and Aloy equally as still, wide eyes full of tears and shivering slightly.

“I thought,” she choked, “I thought it got you.” Her voice sounded so hollow that it caused a stabbing pain to shoot through Erend’s chest. “I thought it got you…” she repeated, turning to look at him, face as pale as the snow on top of Nora mountains. He cupped her face, cold sweat slick on her cheek and he just searched her eyes for the words he was looking for. She buried her face in his chest, the torn metal scraping her cheek but she didn't care. She steadied her breathing and eventually looked up at him, a small bit of blood trickling from her new wound. Erend sat them up, trying to think of the words to say but he just couldn't find them. He swallowed thickly and just pulled her in for a proper crushing hug, harshly breathing through his nose trying to steady himself. She brought her arms around him gingerly and squeezed back.

“Let's never do that again.” He finally ground out, voice sounding like his throat was made out of pure gravel. He felt her nod against his shoulder and they stayed like that for what felt like a lifetime, so much emotion being driven through their contact before they broke away, looking at each other intensely.

“Better hope we get something good to sell after this.” She grumbled, stretching and standing up, tugging her spear from the corpse of the Stormbird. The bruised and battered sky mellowing to a more relaxed grey.

* * *

“I can't believe you just stood there!” It had been a while that the incident had passed, the only sound after their sharp words was the gravel crunching under their feet. The day had turned a deep purply blue, the last hours of day clinging on to the sky with desperation. The blissful moment of relief after the battle had evaporated.

“I’m sorry, turns out I’m not fearless like you Aloy - I fucked up! Let it go, at least we’re alive!” he groaned, shoulders sagging and feet dragging. She tensed, turning to face him with anger, but seeing how defeated he looked, paired with his ruined armour, she didn’t have the heart to nag at him for another half hour.

“Fine,” she pursed, standing in front of him so he had to stop, “But, I’m teaching you how to use a damn bow so you don’t get in the same situation again- no objections!” Her decision being final, she pivoted on her heels and marched on, leaving him to quicken to pace after her, not in the mood to try and argue back. He was glad she got her spark back though, even if he hadn’t quite managed to get his. He was tired, he was hungry and he wanted to bathe, eat and sleep. They had managed to get good distance on their first day and she was rather proud of them, aside from the obvious Stormbird fiasco, but that was not to be mentioned anymore. She jumped up on top of a rock marker at the side of the road and scanned about, trying to locate some running water. It seemed like forever before she thought she found something and she hopped down from her perch, shoving his shoulder slightly.

“Hey grumpy-face, I think I’ve found somewhere to rest for the night.” If his sigh hadn’t signalled his relief, then the fact that his face had turned from an almost-pained looking squint to a relaxed expression of hope did. Aloy felt kind of bad for him, he wasn’t used to fighting machines this intensely and then being able to just carry on as if it was nothing - and the fact that his armour got tore up too. She touched the now clotted wound on her cheek gingerly and grimaced. They should probably find a replacement for his armour at some point - but that would come in due time. She felt like she owed it to him now - not only for coming with her on this journey, but for everything he’s been put through so far.

They happened upon the perfect site to park up, somewhere where she saw that machines shouldn’t stumble across, next to crystal clear running water, and there were trees close to provide some sort of protection. They had some supplies to set up: a small canvas tent to fit them both, but having some environmental help didn’t hurt too. Seeing the small area almost made him tear up and he immediately dumped his things at the water's edge and splashed himself with cool water. She snorted at him, going around in a wide berth and setting some exploding traps up in a circle. After spending some time surveying the area, and deciding there was no apparent immediate danger, she returned back to where Erend was only to discover him naked and up to his waist in the water - not that that had hidden anything. She immediately turned away, holding her hands up to her eyes and coughing really loudly.  
“Uh, you might wanna put on some clothes there, captain,” her embarrassment shone through in her words as she turned her glowing face away from his line of sight. Hearing his little laugh, she frowned deeply “What’re you laughing at?”

“Scared you’ll see what a real man looks like?” The statement sent ripples of something up her back, as she heard him slosh around in the water. She had only caught a glimpse of his finely sculpted - but not obscenely so - physique, but a glimpse was enough to burn it into her retinas. He took her silence in amusement as he approached her in the water, “Hey, you should join me. Pretty girl like you shouldn’t be afraid of showing a little skin.” If her face wasn’t red before, it certainly was now. She certainly was not getting naked and wading around in the water frivolously with him - how preposterous! “Aloy, Aloy,” he crooned, laughing through his words “what’s the matter? Fear finally taken over for you?”

Having had enough of his words, she whipped around to retort, but was stopped short when she saw him. The sun hung low in the sky at this point and there was a faint orange glow across the land, and the way it hit his body was breathtaking. He was peppered with water droplets which ran down muscles tightly bound by skin, but there was some softness to his shoulders and stomach. His hair was flattened against his head, his chest was finely carpeted with curly strands too, the water dripping off of it in brilliant little diamond droplets. His chest led down to his stomach which was softly toned, and she longed to touch it because he looked so inviting. Her eyes led her down to a little tuft of hair peeking over the surface of the water, just in line with his hips that led down. Averting her gaze, she coughed and simply stomped her way to over behind him, deftly jumping on some rocks to get to the other side of the river and setting up camp in silent and solid mortification.

Her face was brighter than the medicial hintergold that she collected and she would not be saying a word about it. Erend however, was so amused by this, that he simply watched Aloy rake her eyes over him, standing his hands on his hips proudly. He had watched as she drank in all of his detail before spluttering slightly when she went to look under the water. He was so tempted to approach her from behind like this, but he felt that maybe that would be too far for the little Nora girl. He continued scrubbing the grime from his body with the Carja soap he had packed, his spirits greatly lifted.

Aloy kept flickering her gaze over to him in between setting up the camp and caught herself staring again, watching the water roll down his back. Again, her hands screamed at her to go and touch and explore, but she couldn’t bring herself to. His shoulders and upper back were to clearly defined and his back looked so strong, and flowed so beautifully down to his ass too. She watched, blushing furiously as she saw his muscles tense and relax with the current, and when she noticed him turning around, she pivoted back to the task at hand, almost finished with the tent.

The sound of the water being disturbed snapped her out of her daydream of running her hands all over him, calling to attention the burning sensation that had ripped throughout her body, making her shift uncomfortably at the feeling in her lower stomach. She throbbed with need, but she had never felt this way before, so of course she couldn’t quantify it. His cough nearly gave her a heart attack as she shot up to a standing position and twisting around to face him.

“Whoa, spooked you huh?” he asked, grinning “Thinking about someone?” Cocky bastard, look at his smirk. She wanted desperately to push his face away from her, but all she could do was sneer and walk past him, ignoring his now only half naked body.

Aloy had to clean too, but she felt as if she couldn’t comfortably without her mind wandering and, maybe, the fact that he may look at her the way she looked at him. Shame rose up in her again as she took all of her external armour off and crouched at the edge of the water. “I want look.” he called over, clearly enjoying watching her struggle with this newfound feeling. She shot him a glare and returned to gazing in the water. She picked up his soap and sniffed it, imagining the smell clinging to him and his hair. Immediately she sat it down and padded over to her own bag, pulling out her own herbs and cleaning supplies. She chose to move to a bit in the water behind a rather large rock, and began stripping down, setting her clothes down next to the river, and making sure her bow and spear were close by just incase of emergency.

She kept thinking of Erend and the way he looked in the river earlier, and she was so distracted, she dropped her soap in the water, and watched it float away a little passed the rock. Internally cursing herself at her stupidity, she contemplated letting the soap be lost to her forever, but she knew she had to go retrieve it. Swallowing her pride and her lack of confidence, she dived under the water, streaking down and catching the soap, bursting through the surface to breath again. She looked over to where Erend was and saw him standing slack jawed, almost dropping the skinned rabbit he had in his hands.

Aloy made an ungodly squeaking noise and dropped under the water, arms darting to cover everything she could as she scuttled back behind the rock. She was sure in that moment she was never going to come out of the river now. She would rather die of starvation than be faced with Erend at this point. Eventually swallowing her shame, she dragged herself out of the cool water, letting the last droplets roll off of her skin before rubbing the remainders off and knotting her hair in a way that wouldn't clump around her neck as it dried. Padding over to the campfire, she sat to his right, and took some of the cooked rabbit.

They ate in relative silence, Aloy mortified with Erend grinning to himself and at her, eating his rabbit merrily.

“I didn’t expect a savage to be so beautiful looking - clothed and naked. How lucky I am to be graced with your presence.” he snickered. She shot him a dirty look before responding.

“I didn’t expect a loudmouth Oseram to be so complimentary with his words. Guess I’m the true lucky one.” He held a hand to his heart in mock hurt,

“How could you say such a thing Aloy? I do have feelings you know,” he said. That made her genuinely laugh at how ridiculous he was being, which greatly lifted her sour mood.

They had started lightly chatting again and by the time it was ready for bed, the start of the night was completely forgotten about. She wore an extra light tunic while her other clothes dried - much the same as his as they had spent some time cleaning everything, discarding Erend’s torn up armour and he set out a spare, lighter set he brought for emergencies to put on for the next day. They let the gentle crackling of the fire die down and decided to turn in for the night, clambering into their separate sleeping bags in the tent.

“I’d say today was successful.” Erend said with absolute resolution.

“Really?” she turned in her sleeping bag to face him, seeing him laying on his back with his hands behind his head, showing his tensed muscles off in the most tempting way. He shot her a grin.

“Well, I saw you in the river earlier didn’t I?” that earned him a well deserved kick to the thigh as she huffed and turned her back to him, falling into an uneasy sleep, trying not to think back to him bathing in the river. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much again to MightyLauren for being my beta reader and guiding me through me mistakes! Couldn't upload safely without ya!
> 
> I had so much fun writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it!! Colours of this chapter are sunrise and sunset with a little storm mixed in.


	4. Archer In Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaack! Sorry for being MIA for a month, had a lot going on - but I'm back with more frequent updates!! 
> 
> This is a wee short chapter to prepare for the next!
> 
> Apologies, apologies!

The sharp thud of an arrow head burying itself into wood rang out through the small clearing they were in. Deciding to stick by the river, they fashioned up targets on some rocks and the ground out of sticks and wood chunks, they were quite impressive aside from the shoddiness of them - but again, you can only work with what you have. The soft green glow of the trees swayed in the slight breeze as the water bubbled and sparkled brilliantly in the sun, nature providing them sufficient shelter for basically a full day of training. The whole act of setting up targets and circling around Erend, nitpicking his stances and giving him little tips whilst lifting one arm, pushing a shoulder down, moving the bow an inch to the left reminded her of when she started her training. The warm thought punched through her chest and left the sting of a reminder that she hadn’t visited Rost’s grave yet. Guilt slowly burned at her chest as she watched another of Erend’s arrows miss the target and she noted where he was going wrong and spoke softly this time, a contrast to the usual sharp commands she was firing at him.

 

“You have to loosen yourself up, you’re way too tense.” He looked towards her questioningly, but she quickly tossed her emotions aside, mentally telling herself that now was not the time and slid towards him, pushing his shoulders down. “Look, I’ll show you.” She easily nocked an arrow and made a point of visibly relaxing and breathing out as she let her arrow spear into one of the further away targets. Huffing slightly in frustration, he nodded his head from side to side and drew his bow, finally landing a bullseye on one of the mid-range targets. He whooped in joy and jumped from his position, pumping his fist in the air.

 

“Well done! You’re actually doing better than I expected when you’re re-”

 

“Relaaaaaaxing, I know I  _ know _ .” He stood to his full height and stretched cockily grinning, gesturing to his recently hit target, “Look at how beautifully I nailed that target though. Impressive if anything.” You could almost hear how hard she rolled her eyes as she laughed at his newfound confidence - as if not ten minutes ago he was huffing and hawing about how terrible he would be at the whole ‘bow and arrow thing’. 

 

“I’ll be impressed when you can do something  _ without _ gloating about it afterwards.” At this she stuck her tongue out at him. When he returned the favour, and she gasped in shock mockingly, “How dare you be so rude!” 

 

“Oh rude? I can show you rude-” he was about to flip her the bird when they heard the explosion of one of the traps she had laid out the day before. She quickly hushed him and dove behind an especially large rock, tapping her focus and scanning the area. A couple of watchers curiously investigated the corpse of their now dead companion and scanned the area themselves for potential threats. After ultimately deciding there was nothing they continued on closer towards them. “What is it?” he hissed.

 

“Two watchers, directly ahead.” Taking that as a silent command to take care of them he nodded, popping out from behind the rock and drawing an arrow. She watched him curiously as he concentrated on relaxing and he breathed out, letting his arrow go. She heard the convulsing screech of a downed watcher and she genuinely gasped, popping up and grinning. “You did it!” her exclamation alerted the last watcher to their presence and it started speeding towards them, which she quickly annihilated with her own arrows. She turned to his equally as amazed face, “You did it!” she repeated, a notch quieter.

 

“Yeah! I did!” she laughed and launched herself at him, equally proud of him for taking down a watcher, equally proud of herself for teaching him so well. He let out a surprised ‘oof’ when she came in contact with him and he just squeezed her gently, grinning to himself. “With your wonderful help of course. Without you, I would’ve never coped.” and back with the sarcasm. She scoffed and hit his shoulder playfully,

 

“Roll back the attitude, or I’ll roll it back for you.” Sucking in a breath he looked down at her face,

 

“Don’t think I can quite manage that somehow.” Another playful shove.

 

“Well, looks like you’ll just need to try.” He squeezed her lightly and she wheezed from the pressure, causing him to laugh at the noise she made. Frowning at his misplaced joy, she shoved him again, causing him to squeeze harder and brush his hands along her sides. Her body reacted of its own accord, freezing momentarily and then she writhed, laughing slightly and trying to get free of his grip. 

 

Noticing how ticklish she seemed to be, a plan formed in his head. It was simply evil, but he tickled her until she was almost screeching with hysterical laughter, writhing and trying to push him off, but he easily overpowered her until she was laying back flush with the ground and he was hovering above her. She felt powerless against his roaming hands as they brushed and push against extremely sensitive parts of her body as she slapped and pushed against him. Her eyes pooled with tears as her ribs began to hurt from laughter and it took one final push from her to push him backwards and carry herself over so their positions were flipped. Panting, she held his wrists with an iron grip and stared into his eyes, little bursts of giggles tumbling out with her breaths. 

 

“Wh-what did you just do to me?” she asked, voice cracking and higher pitched than usual. He grinned evilly and cocked his head slightly,

 

“You’ve never been tickled before?” Shaking her head, she searched his eyes for any lick of remorse, but there was nothing. “Well, looks like we’ve just discovered something new about you. Again, you never cease to amaze, Aloy.” 

 

Her pinkened face burned redder again as she held his gaze in silence. Her heart slowly hammering away in her chest as she saw his features visibly soften as he deeply scanned her face. Feeling something scream at her internally, she stopped herself from leaning closer to him, but it seems like he had the same idea as he began to close his eyes and lean a little closer towards her, head tilted slightly and lips beginning to pucker. Blood was rushing past her ears and sounded like a pumping current inside her ears as she watched him get closer and closer, her breath hitching.

 

A twig snapped in the trees and she was on her feet quicker than she ever had been before, immediately picking up her bow which had been dropped during their scuffle and tapping on her focus. Why was there so many machines now? Cursing herself out internally, she stalked over to the gap in her traps and lay another down, rolling to another place of cover, leaving Erend still laying on the ground, dazed. 

 

What just happened? He looked around to see her crouching behind a rock with a finger to her lips signalling silence. There was a highly strung moment of tension before a scuttling racoon darted out into the clearing. Visibly relaxing, she took an arrow and fired it into the creature’s skull - partly to collect its skin for sale, partly in pure annoyance for causing her so much panic. She was secretly thanking it however for allowing her to eject from the situation she was in. But why did she want to? 

 

She couldn’t quite wrap it around her head, and she was so invested on thinking about it she didn’t notice her small dagger she used for stripping wildlife had come a bit too close to her hand and she jumped when Erend appeared suddenly behind her, causing her hand to slip and cut into her palm. 

 

“Oh shit, Aloy, are you okay?” he fussed over her completely, but her mind was too awhirr to fully concentrate on anything he was saying and she kept waving him off.

 

“Honestly, it’s only a cut, I’ll be okay! I’ve just got to-” he grabbed her wrist and forced her to look him in the face,

 

“Let me help you.” It was meant to be a request but the way he said it made it feel more of a command and the way he was looking at her made her internally relent and nod at him. She let him guide her over to the river and stick her now stinging, bleeding hand into the water. He proceeded to rub a little alcohol into her wound and inspected her hand. “It’s not deep, so all you need to do is wrap it and clean it regularly.” Aloy nodded, noticing how gentle he was being compared to earlier. She felt a new wave of guilt wash over her and she swallowed thickly. 

 

“Thank you.” They were so close to each other again, and her heart started rapidly beating and her face started heating slowly as a tight knot formed in her stomach. He just wrapped up her wound and patted her shoulder awkwardly, obviously choosing not to mention what had happened. Kicking herself mentally, she returned back to the tent and stuffed the racoon skin into her pack and returned to the dead fire. 

 

“So…” She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, 

 

“So?”

 

“Will we start travelling? Or wait until first light tomorrow?” For emphasis, he looked up towards the twilight, the sky turning a purple colour with faint fadings of burning orange in the sky, the white stars speckled across the expanse. The stark black of the trees created cut outs against the sky and she seemed to consider travelling in the dark.

 

“I don’t mind travelling in the dark, but we’ve had an intensive day so we better wait until morning.” she informed him, picking up her things for cleaning again and she merely shrugged at his questioning look. “Who knows when we’ll get another fresh source of water this good? Might as well take advantage.” and she stalked off, letting him take care of food again as she looked to have some alone time to think through the whole day. 

 

She ended up not stripping down completely but plonking her feet in the water and braiding her hair up as she had kept it down the full day, which had made Erend stare at her a few times which she found odd. He plonked down next to her and stuck his own feet in the water, making her jump. She went to protest but he stopped her.

 

“I couldn’t hear any movement from you for a while so I checked on you.” she relaxed and nodded, leaning close to him. They just watched the water for a while, letting all the fish and wildlife pass them by without movement. Complete silence. It was nice just sitting there and listening to everything around them. The soft rustle of the leaves shaking themselves, the river gurgling its garbled songs of peace. It was comforting almost, if not for the burning guilt at the pit of her stomach. Almost as if her mind had been read in some round about way, Erend’s stomach growled harshly in protest of not being fed and she stifled a laugh at his embarrassed look. 

 

“Nothing like your body to remind you to eat, huh?” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, averting his gaze. Aloy simply agreed and made quick work of catching some fish to cook over the fire. The night danced across the landscape and cloaked them in darkness, leaving only the moon and stars to provide light for them. The campfire crackled and licked at the wood collected by Erend previously as its heat sizzled the fish, filling their surroundings with an intoxicating smell. Erend was bursting with questions about Aloy’s home and about the Nora Land in general as he had only visited once and granted the last visit wasn’t such a happy event, he had refrained from talking about it with her until now.

 

“So you believe that All Mother defeated this Metal Devil?” he probed, taking a bite out of his fish. Aloy nodded, face filled with food.

 

“When I was a child, Rost would tell me all of the Nora beliefs and stories.” she smiled down at the fish in her hands and shook her head, smiling. “I had so many questions back then that he would get irritated the more I interrupted. ‘Aloy’,” she imitated, shoving her shoulders back and deepening her voice as far as it would go “ ‘All Mothers teachings aren’t to be questioned. Our beliefs are the way of the tribe blah blah blah’.” She laughed to herself, and let her shoulders relax and her expression soften into a sad smile. She looked to Erend who was staring at her, his face unreadable but radiating caring and understanding in a way she wasn’t overly familiar with. “I miss him still.” She felt her nostrils and eyes heat up as her throat clenched. 

 

“I understand.” He didn’t need to say anything else to her. Waves of realisation crashed into her. He feels this way about Ersa, of course, how was she so foolish as to not realise. He smiled softly, placing a hand on her shoulder softly and giving it a gentle squeeze. “He’ll always be with you, you know.” This made her frown and she looked at him questioningly. He tapped his own heart “In here. If you don’t forget him, he’ll never be lost to you.” The tears finally fell from her eyes and she sniffled. She went to speak and he shook his head. “It’s okay.” and she knew in that moment that she had trusted Erend with everything she was. Her heart swelled and ached from the rush of emotions she had went through and she sat her fishbones down. 

 

Sensing that she wanted to sleep, he also stood, stubbing the fire out and they retreated back into their tent. Sleep came easily that night, a sense of relaxation and understanding wrapping them in a blanket of content and rocking them gently into their dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to MightyLauren for beta reading and putting up with my shitty time keeping - I'll be good from now on,I promise!!
> 
> Got a schedule going on properly in my life now in the run up to college so I'm pretty happy to be throwing myself back into writing again!! Can't wait to continue my journey with Aloy and Erend!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this wee filler chapter as I get back into the swing of things!


	5. Here Comes The Sun

Dawn rose in the sky, burning brilliantly purple and red, violets flirted and danced, flirting with oranges and pale yellows mixing the sky out of its slumber from the night before. The earliest rays of the sun peaked through the clouds as the blue in the sky took over and wind carded through the leaves of the trees, shaking the branches and causing the birds to stir and sing their songs. The warmth of the sun caressed the tent, heating the inside gently like a warm embrace from nature itself. Birdsong infiltrated her ears and she stirred, turning so she was facing Erend and cracked her eyes open slowly, letting them drink in the sight of early morning. 

 

The sight that greeted her made her heart swell. Erend was a little slack jawed face down with his head to the side, arms and legs splayed in every which direction taking up as much room as possible in the tent, his soft snoring barely audible unless you really strained to hear it - quite unlike what it sounded like when he slept on his back. The soft beigey glow of the tent coated him in an indescribable glow and she brushed a hair out of his face. She froze when he stirred a little. Why did she do that as if it was a completely sane and natural thing to do? She didn’t know. Panic at the thought of him waking up and seeing her touching him made her jump from her position and scamper out of the tent. 

 

The light seized her in its grasp and she welcomed it, turning to face the sun with her eyes closed as if to let her skin drink it all up. Her hair was alight like lava spilling out of a volcano - perpetually flowing and giving out a somewhat ethereal glow. She turned her back to the burning star and made her way to the river, washing her face and refilling the water canisters. This morning she’ll catch some boar so she can pack meat to go - she still had some salt from her supplies so she should be able to rub it on the meat and tie it up so it won’t spoil by the end of the day. 

 

Lost deep in thought and surveying the area around her for a plan of attack she hadn’t noticed Erend creeping out of the tent and tip-toeing his way towards her. He reached out to grab her by her sides but she had already dodged him and rolled to the side, reaching for her bow. She visibly relaxed after seeing it was just Erend, but quickly bristled again after realising what he was about to do.

 

“ _ What _ are you trying to do?” she hissed, shooting him a dirty look, “Scare me to death?” He held up his hands defensively, half amazed, half amused.

 

“Thought you needed a little something to wake you up from your day-dreaming” his lopsided grin made her warm up inside as his frame was perfectly cast in glowing sunlight. She huffed and threw some water from one of the canisters at him, which he dumbly took the face. His shocked expression turned into an evil smirk as he made a dive for her, but she quickly dodged him again.

 

“You’re going to have to go faster than that to catch me, Erend.” Laughter laced her words as she bobbed back and forth on her feet. His eyebrow cocked, he made another go for her, but this time as she ducked to go under him, he dropped and grabbed for her ankle. Falling to the ground she yelped and turned to being on her back, now in a vulnerable position. 

 

“Now that’s what I call karma,”  he said. She tried kicking him off of her but processing his words she tilted her head a little and frowned.

 

“Karma?” She never ceased kicking her legs as he proceeded to hold her down by the ankles now, forcing her to try and wiggle her way out of his grasp. “N-Never heard of such a thing.” She strained against him but he then kneeled over her ankles and caught her punching and pushing hands and stilled them in his own. 

 

“Bad luck. You bragged, you failed.” Laughing at her growling in frustration at how easily he overpowered her, he stuck out his tongue at her restrained form. He moved so both of her hands were pinned down with one of his own and trailed the other down her side gently. She squirmed and scrunched her face up, a toothy grin clearly fighting its way to the surface. “Oh? Is our Nora warmaiden ticklish now?” The situation dawning on her, she started shaking her head profusely,

 

“Don’t you dare!” 

 

“Dare what?” Erend asked sweetly, his face the perfect picture of innocence. “Oh, this?” he asked, brushing her sides again, which elicited a small giggle from the struggling redhead.

 

“Please!” she begged, a small gasp punctuating her plea as he tickled down her body again. This made something jolt in Erend and he hesitated for a split second before continuing. He decided to push it a little further.

 

“Please?” he repeated, indicating she had to say more.

 

“ _ Please _ ,” she repeated, desperately trying to wiggle away from him but it only served in her being tickled more, now full on laughing, gasping trying to regain breath “Please stop! I yield, I yield!” she pleaded, almost every word interrupted by hysteric giggling or gasping for air - and a whole lot of wriggling. Erend enjoyed the sight a whole touch too much to stop but he relented from his instincts to keep going and stayed straddled above her, his ankles crossed with hers to hold them down and a single hand holding her wrists above her head.

 

Aloy panted and looked up at him, trying to read his expression. All Erend could see was how beautiful she was. Sunlight cupped her face and danced through her hair, igniting its strands in pure copper delight, it smoothed across her pale skin, highlighting each and every freckle and it passed through the glass in her eyes to make her honey-like gaze glow. She was the literal embodiment of a Sun Goddess and it made him momentarily lose his breath. His stomach tightened uncomfortably as he came to the sudden realisation he was staring right at her, right into her questioning eyes.

 

“Are you okay Erend?” His throat betrayed him as his mouth had dried and he simply nodded, moving gently off of her. She frowned and caught him by his upper arm, boring into his eyes, pure care and support shining through them. She said nothing, but the meaning behind her look was stronger than the mightiest machine. Letting go, she turned from him and gathered her clothes which were now sufficiently dried and pulled them on. “I’m going to go get food so we can eat before we head out. Get a fire going?” she asked, holding her gaze a little too long at him. He only nodded and watched as she retreated into the trees, deftly hopping over her tripwire. 

 

“Stupid idiot.” he muttered to himself scoldingly. “All you had to do was tickly her and let her go, but you went and stared at her like a slack jawed,” he huffed, pulling on his trousers “dumb-struck,” his boots “ _ creepy _ ” he emphasised, pulling on his under armour and tightening it “idiot.” he finally sighed, packing away the tent and rolling up their bedsheets and put most of their things away. He began stocking a fire and let it burst brilliantly alive before leaving it and refilling the water canister she had readily chucked at him earlier. He thought back again to the little incident they had and cringed at himself. “I’m an idiot.”

 

“Well yes, but have you only just realised?” he heard her quip. Erend hadn’t heard her approach the camp again, so he almost jumped out of his armour and whipped around to see her stifling a giggle. “What, did I scare you?” to which he just stuck out his tongue. She giggled, which sounded like the sweetest birdsong to him, and sat down next to the fire, unravelling a blood-soaked piece of cloth to reveal a medium-sized boar. “I had to carry it in a sling just incase I came across any stray watchers.” she explained, dragging the boar a little bit away from the fire and sank a knife deep into its neck, making sure it was facing away from her so she wouldn't be spattered with blood. Making quick work so the carcass was completely organ free, she brought it back to a ready Erend. He cut it up into bits to broil, boil and cook over the fire. 

 

She watched him curiously, observing each cut and where abouts he was cutting from. His hands moved deftly and she could see his muscles tensing and untensing under his skin, the tendons in his hands bounced into life as he worked the knife with expertise. The sun accented him perfectly and it took her thoughts away from her. 

 

She stared, watched as he rubbed salt into the meat and wrapped some of it up, stuffing it in a little separate bag. He took some of the meat and put it over the fire, letting the flames lick it lovingly. He looked up at her and quirked a brow, to which she quickly turned and made sure that everything was packed and ready to go. All they had to do was leave essentially. The sky was a brilliant blue and there were little puffy white clouds gliding freely through it.

 

“We should be able to get a lot of ground covered today. We've spent too long here now.” She was standing on her little perching rock and looking around to see any signs of machines. Fortunately there were none and their food was ready so she hopped down and eat with him. Erend watched her, he kept absent-mindedly focusing on her while she was eating before he caught himself out staring.

 

“How long until we reach the Nora people?” Half of him had hoped it would be forever away, so that he'd get to spend way longer with Aloy. Not that he hadn't spent time with her before now but this was different. They were so close  _ all _ of the time. It was killing him to be so close to her and not being able to just summon the guts up to say to her how he felt. But how did he feel exactly? He didn't know to be honest. All he knew is he thought she was beautiful and deserved the world. 

 

“A couple until we reach the sacred land and then a couple more to get to Mother’s Heart. That's where the high matriarchs live.” So they have close to a week left with each other. For some reason that eased his mind a little and he was a bit happier in eating his food. Once they were done they snubbed out the fire and got ready. Aloy circled the area once again, disabling all of her wire traps and jogged up to him.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Ready.” And so they set off. 

 

The walk was rather long and uneventful. It was late noon and the sun was blazing in the sky. They were now in the heart of the desert - running water being lost long ago to them. Aloy was thankful she had decided last minute to collect extra water and she smiled to a grumbling Erend as she passed a water cannister to him. He was sweating and his face was looking a little pink, the headscarf on his head preventing his scalp from being sunburned and no more. He still looked rather silly and she had to suppress a grin as she looked away and ahead of them. 

 

They should make it to Daytower by nightfall and they could even continue a little until they had to set up camp if all was well enough. Thinking about being out of the heat spurred her legs to walk faster but she quickly slowed her eagerness as she heard a faint groan coming from behind her.

 

“We need to find shade - just for a little while. I feel like I’m about to melt.” although she did agree with him, she so desperately wanted to carry on. The more they press on the quicker they’ll be out of the desert. On the other hand however she was starting to favour his idea as she heard the quiet screeching of a Glinthawk in the somewhat near distance. She really did not want to be dealing with them at this time of day. “Come on Aloy, I promise I’ll be raring to go pretty quick.” 

 

“Okay okay fine, we just need to find suitable shade.” She did a quick scan of the area to make sure that there were no stray machines. There was a small herd of Broadheads nearby, but they weren’t close enough to be too much of a problem. Besides, they were considerably less annoying that the Glinthawks, so she knew what she would prefer to encounter any day. There was a small overhanging rock that lead into a little alcove in a nearby cliff face that looked like it was the perfect place of rest. She nudged Erend and gestured towards the dark place to which he practically ran to. If only he had that kind of motivation for the rest of the journey.

 

There wasn’t much room in the alcove, but there was just enough room for the both of them and their packs. It was cozy, but it was almost ice cold because no sun had touched the spot. Aloy shivered gently and shifted, rubbing her arms. Erend subconsciously scooted closer to her, pressing his warm arm onto hers, and she leaned on him, trying to extract a little heat. She was used to the cold - she lived in it, but the sudden change in temperatures cause goosebumps to spread across her skin rapidly. He smirked to himself and placed a hand on her arm, feeling the new texture to her skin. Even though it was all bumped, it was still so soft. Unreasonably soft. She searched his face curiously, wondering why he just placed a hand on her and wasn’t talking. In all honesty it was kind of weird.

 

“Are you…?” she peered at him, seeing if he was even listening to her, and it seemed as if he wasn’t. He was in a complete world of his own. In order to get his attention, she placed her hand over his, her pale pinkness contrasting with his slightly darker, more “lively looking” skin. He gave a small start and looked into her eyes, being ripped from one world where he was imagining running his hands all over her arms and around her shoulders and down her back. And now? They were swimming in honey brown pools of emotion, green shining through like iridescent gems of unexplored thought. 

 

Aloy frowned in confusion and just quirked a brow at him. He retracted his hand and coughed awkwardly. Well done Erend, you’ve really outdone yourself this time. She just snorted and shoved him playfully.

 

“You’re weird.” He knew she meant it jovially but he just felt a sharp pain to his stomach and laughed along.

 

“I think it’s the heat. Messing with my mind.” He pulled a funny face and stuck out his tongue, which only made her laugh more. He loved it when she laughed. Well, he always liked making people laugh - that was his thing, he was a jokester, but he liked making Aloy laugh the most. There was just something about her laughter that made the area light up better than fire ever could. 

 

The heat wasn’t the only thing that was messing with his mind at this point. Aloy however, busied herself with getting some water out so they could drink. The sun was starting to hang a little lower in the sky and more clouds were rolling in from the distance. 

 

They exited the alcove, the sky now a dusty blue, fading down into the palest yellow as it met the brazen red horizon. She quickly scanned around and found out there was nothing to be wary of at the moment. Signalling for him to follow, she dived to another rock, still scanning intently before relaxing a little.

 

“Nothing. We’ll continue until it gets cold - Daytower isn’t far o-” something glinted in the setting sun and she snapped her head towards it. She couldn’t believe her eyes, it was as if her idea had been birthed into life. 

 

Erend frowned as he watched her head snap to something in the distance and her eyes light up intensely. Following her line of sight almost made him a little sick. A gigantic, lumbering, two-legged creature trod in a short route, possibly looking for something to fight or tear into. Thunderjaws are always easy to aggravate, but had been considerably calmer since the incident at the spire. Some, were still very quick to anger and would attack at a moment's notice. Of course, one of the things he  _ definitely _ didn’t want to happen, happened. Great, he has the best luck in the world! 

 

“Aloy-” before he could stop her, she was running over to tall grass, keeping extremely low to the ground. He felt his full body sigh before he tailed her, being careful to sneak into the foliage with her. “We don’t have to fight it now, we can wait until we’re coming back!” he really did not need this right now. He couldn’t help but think back to what happened with the Stormbird and about the heartbreak he had felt when he had thought something had happened to her. Clearly she wasn’t listening to him and shushed him with her hand.

 

“If I can just, set up a couple of traps, get it to walk into them, shoot its disc launchers off at  _ least _ we should be able to take it out relatively quickly.” it sounded more like a plea to let her do this instead of instructions on how she was going to perform. Thinking the plan through in his head he relented.

 

“Okay, what do you want me to do?” Aloy could’ve kissed him out of sheer joy. She felt her pulse quicken at the thought and turned her face away before it got too hot. She thought for a moment.

 

“When it falls - after it’s walked into the trap - smash its head. We want to cause as much damage as possible. Put  _ everything _ into your swing. I’ve got arrows that’ll take its armour off.” she waved a tearblast arrow as she knocked it on her bow. “Don’t worry, if its alerts to you, I’ll distract it and it’ll come after me.”

 

“And I’ll do the same for you. Confuse it.” he offered, looking into her eyes. She grinned, liking this plan already. 

 

“Sounds solid. Okay, I’ve got to do this quietly, so just be careful.” they shared a nod as she flanked the creature from its blind spot, setting down explosive and fire wire traps in a row peeling away from it. She finally stood to full height and sucked in a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the fight to come. She drew an arrow and exhaled, letting it lodge into the Thunderjaw and blast a piece of its back armour off. 

 

The thunderous machine stopped dead in its tracks, the metal in its joints groaning before it ‘eyes’ flashed red and it whipped its head around to face her. Erend’s heart shrivelled in his throat as the terrifying creature let out an ungodly screeching roar and charged her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again to the loveliest MightyLauren for being a wonder and making it so everything's readable!
> 
> The next chapter will probably be longer, I promise! 
> 
> I'm really excited writing this fight scene btw I hope you guys love it next chapter!
> 
> I'll get my shit together for these ending notes also lmao. GOTTA GET STRUCTURE, BUN, GODDAMNIT :P See you next time!


	6. In The Jaws of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I am very inconsistent with uploads and I apologise!! This is the Thunderjaw fight!!
> 
> I haven't had this chapter Beta'd because I was way too excited and wanting to just upload! I never expected for life to get this busy! I'm used to doing next to nothing but I've been on a whirlwind of adventure with college and my dear - but in my downtime over the holidays I'm going to get cracking.
> 
> I also played the Frozen Wilds DLC and it pushed me to write a little something something because it's made me fall in love with the game all over again!!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy and you don't know how much I appreciate you all taking the time to stick with me and read this! <3

The unholy sound that emerged from the creature shook the land around them with a gut-wrenching tremble. Erend felt himself physically shiver as his hands slipped down the leather on the handle of his hammer. This was not happening. She did not want this. She did. He knew she did. Man, she was absolutely crazy. Maybe being isolated from her tribe all of her life did this to her. Maybe she’s just way more courageous than he was. She was definitely more courageous than he will  _ ever  _ be, he knew that as well as anyone else. He watched as the hunking creature stomped its way over to the redhead, who rolled backwards and let another arrow go into the beast’s jowells, knocking the one of the machine guns off of its face. It was definitely a mixture of craziness, bravery and a need to prove herself that drove her to do this. Besides, she needed the shards. 

 

Another machine gun gone.

 

Erend watched in stunned silence as the machine howled in what he would assume to be pain or anger - but he wasn’t entirely sure the things could even feel emotions the way that they could. The noise travelled through him and fizzled out at his nerve endings in pure fear. The Thunderjaw tripped over an explosive wire and roared as an explosion blew off it’s right side armour. Wires and metal work could be seen pumping away underneath the thing’s armour, making it move and make decisions as little sparks flew off of it in all directions. It looked way worse for wear - definitely. He gulped as the creature swung its tail. Aloy just narrowly avoided being hit. She ran and skidded to a halt beside him, breathing like an asthmatic would after a flight of steep stairs. 

 

“Good show?” she wheezed, watching as the creature scanned for her before narrowing on their location. It froze on the spot, allowing for its disc laser cannons to expel and spin, shooting out a line of lasers in their direction, making Erend grab her and dart to the side. She yelped in surprise before laughing and flipping out of his grasp. “Nice to see you finally get the hint!” which made him snort derisively. Just because he wasn’t as mental enough to want to take on a Thunderjaw as she was doesn’t mean he wasn’t going to fight when the opportunity arises! He decided in his almighty wisdom ‘fuck it’ and charged at the beast, hammer almost dragging behind him but ready to swing - and he did as soon as he got to its ankle, effectively crushing it and shattering it, almost knocking the giant creature down in one blow. He was quite proud of himself actually, but before he could revel in his excellent hit, the Thunderjaw lifted its leg and brought it down. Had he not rolled out of the way that would’ve been him. Dead. Crushed to a bloodied pulp. All the stomp did however was shatter its own ankle, sending it tumbling over like a tree falling.

 

Aloy whooped in congratulations to him, and also to check if he would whoop back so she could see if he was okay in a split second. Feeling the joy and adrenaline bubble inside him, he hollered like a silverback asserting dominance and he heard Aloy’s laughter flutter over in reply. It wasn’t quite over yet however.  The sun had decided it wasn’t going to quite work with them on this day and the sky was turning from a burning violet to a deep purple. The Thunderjaw twitched and roused itself from its momentary confusion. It’s lights flickered in anger and it roared once more. Aloy unleashed two, four, six arrows into the beast’s laser cannons, ripping them off of its body. It whipped around to face her instead of targeting Erend.

“Use the canons!” she screamed, dodging the swipe of its tail. It took him a second to catch on to what she was saying, but he dived for it, snatching it up in his hands. The metal felt hot to the touch and for some reason he felt power well out of it. Shaking the feeling off, he aimed at the Thunderjaw and pulled the trigger on the canon, laserdisc after laserdisc spewing out of it, crashing into the mighty machine. Hit after hit, the Thunderjaw stumbled more and more as arrows littered its body. Half the confusion from taking the hits and half losing life itself, the machine fell, a roar dying as it came out. “Erend! Now!” he knew what she meant and he skidded to a halt infront of it, raising his hammer above his head and crashing it down on the Thunderjaw’s. The hammer shattered the headpiece, making all of its lights flicker out and its gears stop turning. The dull creak of resting metal resonated in the quick silence. The reality of the situation dawned on him and the adrenaline in his body coursed and pumped through him, making him throw his hammer to the side and roar into the oncoming night sky. Aloy trotted up next to him and he whipped around and grabbed her by her waist and in shock she grabbed at his arms and he lifted her into the air, spinning her around him. She yelped and kicked her legs, laughing as soon as she realised that it was okay and he laughed too, bringing her down close to him. He held on to her, and she held on to him. Their breaths synced and they stared at each other for a moment. They were incredibly close. She felt his heavy breath fanning on her cheeks.So close. His pupil’s were growing, the colour around them shrinking. Closer.

 

The groaning of the resting Thunderjaw snapped them out of their daze with a start. Erend’s hand retracted from Aloy’s waist as if she was red-hot metal and she felt a sudden coldness around her. She looked from the hulking, dead machine back to Erend and she felt her eyebrows twitch in… Annoyance? Sadness? She couldn’t quite place the feeling, but she shook the expression off her face and turned to look at their work. 

 

“Well, you got what you wanted.” Erend had stood beside her, arms folded firmly across his chest. She merely nodded in response. “Now what?” she snorted and looked at him with a look of ‘seriously?’ when he returned the blank stare she rolled her eyes.

 

“Strip it for parts obviously.” 

 

“Never done it.”

 

“What?”

 

“Yep.” he nodded slowly, uncrossing his arms and standing towards her. “Aloy. I smash things, not exactly in the business of salvaging.” 

 

“I can show you.” he almost didn’t believe her. He simply just watched as she walked over to an exposed part of the machine and almost dived right into the carcass. The way it had fell had left it on its side with the legs exposing the underbelly. She popped her head back up from where he couldn’t see her and she beckoned him over so he followed. He listened intently as she walked him through how to strip parts out of the machines without damaging them, then handling them care afterwards and how to extract shards from certain parts of them. It was almost as beautiful as skinning a wild rabbit or fox but way more complicated. Erend watched her hands deftly weave and pul, cut and pick away the machinery, her fingers almost dancing in their own special way. It was mesmerising. A lot of her was - it was so hard not to think of her as simply. Breath-taking. Attention-consumingly beautiful. Beautiful? He supposed so, yeah. Definitely. He looked at her puzzled face to realise he was staring.

 

“Thanks for your concentration.” she quipped, nudging his shoulder with her hand. 

 

“I was listening.” he tried to assure her, but he simply couldn’t. He huffed slightly “Fine, lemme try then - I’m not nearly going to be as good as you though. No one could be.” Aloy merely snorted at his compliment, hovering over him and making sure he wasn’t damaging parts. Her smell was driving him crazy. It was almost intoxicating sometimes and she was just. There. His pulse hammered ten times as hard as he had a brief flashback to gripping her waist and his fingers twitched a little too hard and crushed a very delicate (but common) machine part. He cursed as the metal pricked his finger, drawing blood. “Godamnit.” He didn’t even get the chance to stick the bleed in his mouth before Aloy swiped it away and rubbed some paste or something on it and covered it up. It was sheer autopilot for her to just clean, disinfect, wrap up that she almost didn’t register the incredulous look on Erend’s face.

 

“What? You don’t know what could happen to something that isn’t taken care of.” She has a point, he knew that but still. She was so careful and gentle. Completely the opposite of the venture they just had bringing the Thunderjaw down. She really never did stop surprising him.

 

It was some time before they managed to strip the machine for all the parts it was worth and the moon was peering at them from its place in the swimming black sky. Steel clouds loomed overhead and the little tiny spatterings of rain came gently down on them. The clouds warned of worsening weather as the winds picked up around them. They looked at each other and nodded simultaneously deciding that they needed to find shelter. And quickly. The little pitter-patter became a fine mist of rain which developed into large blobs and then needle-like water droplets accompanied by the loudest claps of thunder they had ever heard, paired with the brightest, most destructive strikes of lightning ever witnessed. They were in an enclave at this point, sheltered by carved out rock. 

 

“I can’t believe you brought that thing with you.”

 

“What? I had fun with the other one, so I thought it was very befitting.” 

 

“Okay. But a laserdisc canon, Erend. Really?” Of course he had to have the other one. Using the first one was way too much fun, even though he was shitting himself using it it was still fun to use. He just shrugged at her and grinned. 

 

“Man like me needs a canon in my life, Aloy. You just don’t understand.” She laughed, throwing her head back slightly before curling into herself.

 

“Oh, you use it _one time_ and suddenly you’re the expert? Good one.” His grin only widened at her laughter,

 

“And just because the Great Aloy - Ms. I-use-canons-all-the-time - doesn’t feel the need for a canon means that I don’t either?” he posed, feigning a hurt expression. She shoved him a little, pushing him away from her slightly, but he just subconciously scooted back closer to her and the fire. For warmth, obviously. Rain clattered and slammed onto the rocks above them, creating a symphony of anger that raged itself across the landscape around them. It almost seemed miles away as there was no wind or rain getting to them in their little hidey-hole and the notion was almost comforting. The inky outside grumbled and clapped, flashing every so often highlighting silhouettes of grazing machines who seemed unphased by the brutality of the elements. Aloy felt herself shiver involuntarily and pulled her furs closer to her body.

 

“Looks like we’re stuck here for the night.” She sighed, drawing her knees closer to her chin.

 

“Nah, I think that we can brave it - just have to be careful and not get wet.” His words weren’t just laced with sarcasm, they were dripping with it. Aloy roller her eyes, grinning.

 

“After you.”

 

“Rude!” And so they set up a tiny little camp, piling a bundle of sticks and making a fire, cooking their meal and getting ready to settle down to sleep.

 

“Daytower shouldn’t be too far away.” Aloy snuggled down into her sleeping pack, yawning through her words. “We’ll get there tomorrow.” The sounds of the rain tripled, aggressively reminding them that they have to bend to the will of nature itself - like a spoiled toddler begging for attention. Erend merely grunted in agreement and turned to sleep himself.

 


	7. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!! i keep forgetting to uploading this chapter lmao oops thank you thank you thank you MightyLauren again for being my most wondrous beta reader, friend and reminding me about the chapter > v > thanks love you're the best!

Something was keeping him awake. The sound of the rain usually comforted him, the sound, the warmth and the smell of the fire reminded him of home but that wasn’t quite it. He couldn’t place his finger on it and it was driving him insane. The weather had soon relaxed, retreating itself into an ethereal slumber in the heavens and letting the land itself recover. He tossed and turned. And tossed. And turned. He closed his eyes and thought of home. Nothing. He thought of his home in Meridian. Still nothing. The only thing he could hear now was Aloys soft breathing and the fire crackling away. 

Aloy. She was sleeping so peacefully he was jealous. He turned again to face her, watching the rise and fall of her body and the way that the fire’s flames illuminated her features as if this was the only way she should have been seen. She herself looked like she was forged in the most intensive, most brilliant of fires in the world. He wondered what her parents had looked like. It was a fleeting thought, something that he would’ve never thought otherwise but he surmised that if Aloy was as brilliant as she was, she would have had to have come from someone equally as so… right? 

The sun decided to grace the land with its presence. The earth warmed and colour exploded into the world around them. The dew of the previous rains clung to every available surface and glittered brilliantly as the sunlight danced from droplet to droplet. Red glowed from the mouth of their shelter and Erend watched, mesmerised by the change of nature. He had never really took time to really watch what went on - hey, he was asleep by the time the sun had already risen usually but not this night. He hadn’t slept a wink and the puffiness under his eyes had told that for him. He heard Aloy turn over in her sleep and groan gently. Their campfire had since long burned out, once glowing embers now lay there without cause. Red faded into orange, the first birds sang their songs and the tiny scuttling of lizards could be heard. It looked like the storm had rejuvenated the once arid looking surroundings, bringing a slightly new lease on life to it. 

“Morning.” Her voice was crackly, probably dry from sleep. 

“Mornin’.”    
  
“Never pegged you to be awake before me.” There was a laughter hanging on her words, but it didn’t quite manifest.

“Couldn’t sleep.” His answers were short, and he was irritable. It wasn’t Aloy’s fault but he didn’t cope well with the lack of sleep. He felt like he couldn’t function right because of it. She seemed to pick up on this however and didn’t press the matter any further, just gathering up her things and cleaning her hands and face with water. Once they had reached Daytower they could properly sort themselves out, but they weren’t too far. 

Breakfast was made and the make-shift camp was packed up in relative silence. They did a once over and decided to move on, now followed by the sounds of jangling metal from their recent haul. The noise filled Aloy with a warmth of satisfaction and pride knowing that they were able to orchestrate the Thunderjaw take down without any major disasters. Yeah sure they both almost got crushed, but what else could be expected from battling such a powerful machine? 

Their journey wasn’t long, and they had arrived at Daytower just as the sun was deciding to retire for the day. At the top of the steep slope, the outpost stood with a brilliant determination. They could feel shivers run down them because of the change in temperature. Their spoils sold for the highest price and they were quite happy with shards bulging out of their pockets - so they stocked up on supplies and looked for a place to stay.

“Should we really be staying somewhere? I mean, we’ll need to get used to sleeping in the cold.” She had a point. Erend knew she had a point but he almost cursed her for it. He looked at Aloy with a pained expression and she just put her hands up “Just a suggestion. We don’t have to.”

“No, you’re right. As much as I want a great night’s sleep in a comfy bed - because by the forge, I deserve it - we should really try and prepare for what’s to come.” He hated himself. But they had to - might as well start now, right? Besides, this place probably wouldn’t be as cold as the Nora highlands so they’re kind of getting it a little easier than they would have. On the other side of Daytower the winds were picking up and the stark white snow had clashed with the red exterior of the structure. As they passed, civilians and soldiers alike nodded or congratulated them on their service and efforts into saving everything they know, ‘fixing the machines’ and just everything they have ever done. An older looking, beautifully dressed and painted Carja woman stopped them, holding Aloy’s hands in her own.

“Oh, you don’t even _know_ ,” her voice wavered and her eyes welled with tears “ You _saved_ us. You saved _all_ of us. My family, my daughter.” She began to cry. “Thank you, _thank you_. I cannot thank you enough. Please, please let me host you at my home. It’s the least I can do - we will give you only the best.” Aloy shook her head, a soft smile on her face,

“Thank you for the offer of hospitality, but we’ve been sent on a very special task for King Avad. We can’t take any pit stops or anything. I truly appreciate your offer but honestly, we can’t accept.” The woman looked torn to be taking no for an answer, but an idea struck her. She had reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag, placing it in the palm of Aloy’s hand and closing it over firmly. 

“Keep this. It’s _luck_. I’ve kept it all this time and it has helped me through the difficulty of my losses - maybe it shall serve you some good on your journey.” Aloy felt her heart swell, she wanted to give the woman the bag back but she knew that she had to keep this. She nodded and put it in her pocket, thanking the woman. 

“You’re a hit.”

“So are you. I didn’t do it alone, y’know.” and he did know. Afterall, it was _Erend_ who carried her back to the palace when she had passed out. It was _Erend_ who rallied Avad’s and his own men in the battle. 

The Captain of the Vanguard has had his praises sung in songs by now. But he never wanted the glory - sure he revelled in it and made jokes when he was put in the spotlight but he never kept it focused on himself. No, he didn’t deserve that nearly as much as she did. Aloy was the one who single handedly saved the world. She figured everything out. She took the highest risks, paid the highest price for the greatest of good. And she almost died for it. She was lucky she was alive at this point. He looked at the expression she was giving him and he grinned and her own curious gaze had broadened into a warm smile. Shoving his arm playfully they continued on, leaving Daytower and entering into the wilderness. 

The sun was setting by this point and Aloy had scanned the area.

“We should find somewhere to set up camp.”

“Yeah and maybe then I can get a night’s sleep.” Erend yawned for dramatic effect and rolled his shoulders before stretching his back. It didn’t take them long to get set up and the winds were almost nonexistent. Fresh snow coated the ground around them and two circles of trap wires had been set - one much farther away than the other. Their campfire was burning away, the little embers floating up into the sky and falling like they were excited to have burst from the flames. 

Aloy watched them rise and fall intently, doing their acrobatics as gracefully as well practiced circus performers. The heat from the fire caressed her gently but the harsh cold grabbed desperately at her back, as if trying to leech the heat from her. A violent shiver tore its way through her.

“Cold?”

“Actually, it’s _way_ too warm out here - might have to sleep naked.” 

“Don’t tempt me, I might just give in and have a peek.” Something inside her tightened uncomfortably and her face went scarlet at his words. She was only joking, but did he know that? Did he think she was being serious? The look on her face was incredible when he had said that. He could see the cogs in her head grinding slowly to process his words. Erend burst out laughing and shook his head. “Oh, Aloy - you really are something.”  he watched as she frowned deeply and turned away from him, huffily rolling out her sleeping mat next to the fire, muttering to herself. 

That was a bizarrely cute way to react. Cute? Yes, cute. She froze up and he didn’t know if his eyes were deceiving him but he could have sworn he saw her cheeks get hot - or was that a trick of the fire? He wasn’t quite sure but he hoped it wasn’t just his imagination. He laughed to himself and then felt a sudden shiver tickle its way down his spine. “It is fucking cold though, I’ll give you that much.”

“The cold never used to get to me. Then again, I always had Rost to keep me warm.” she smiled somberly, absentmindedly stroking her thumb across a fur lining. She then smiled fully, looking up at Erend who she noticed was watching her “He used to bring me into his arms and pull his fur over us, telling me stories of the great Nora warriors who ventured out into the snow for days and nights at a time. If we could survive the cold nights, we were as brave as them - maybe braver.” She shook her head slightly and her smile faded, brows knitting together. “He’s the bravest man I’ve ever known.” 

“I know how you feel.” he found himself saying. “Ersa… _was_.. my rock. She helped me and picked me up every time I fell. She smiled in the face of pain and suffering because she didn’t want anyone to worry for her.” he snorted, sitting up and bringing his knees up slightly. “She worried more for me, had to look strong - nice and tough for her baby brother.” Aloy scooted closer to him, putting her hand on his knee and smiling softly. She nodded in understanding and squeezed gently. Her hands were icy cold and Erend sucked in a small breath, clamping his hand over hers and wrapping it around, trying to feed some warmth into her. She gave a start and looked at him with wide eyes. “You’re freezing.” he explained, then lifting her hand and rubbing it in between his two. 

Aloy just watched him do this, pleased with the heat. Staying for so long in Meridian made her accustomed to the heat at this point, so the cold was going to be hard to get back used to. An idea struck Erend,

“Hey, you said you used to cuddle for warmth right?”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t we do that? I’m certainly not used to the cold and I’m warmer than you right now, so?” She thought about it. It might be nice to have some heat on her back and the fire in front of them would cover the front so… She didn’t see a problem with the idea at all.She brought her bed pack over and rolled it out right next to his, tying their furs together to make one big one. It was then she became conscious that he slept with very thin clothes on, her mind screamed at her to rip them off of him, but she shook the thought away and inwardly cursed at it before settling down next to him, but not too close just in case. Before she knew it, she felt his arms snaking around her and pulling her closer, one slipping under her head and another over her waist. She yelped in surprise and tried to turn around.

“It’s fine, just sleep. We need the warmth,” he whispered. She couldn’t argue against that but she hadn’t expected actual contact with him - but she wasn’t complaining either. Aloy felt warm, comfortable… comforted. It was strange but something in her chest blossomed and she just wriggled down a little, getting comfortable. 

 

* * *

 

Being pushed awake was not pleasant, especially when she was so comfy and warm and safe. She immediately rolled out of Erend’s grasp and landed in a crouched position, a sharp piece of metal in hand and ready. But no one was there except for the two of them. He writhed and contorted in his sleep, a pained expression on his face and strange almost whimpering noises coming from him. What was going on, was he okay? Should she wake him? She set the piece of metal down and approached him gingerly as he almost sobbed in what she thought looked like pain. Aloy reached out and gently set her arm on his upper arm. He continued to move around.

 

“ _Erend_.” she tried to coo him awake, gently squeezing and shaking his arm with her hand. But nothing worked. Maybe she was being too quiet? “Erend.” she repeated, more of a commanding tone to her voice. Nothing, still he was trapped in his sleep. “ **Erend**.” she hadn’t yelled, but she had spoken loudly. And he snapped awake, now a ghostly sheen to his skin and a wild panic in his eyes. “Hey, hey shhh it’s okay.” she immediately coddled him, trying to calm him down. He was pale and waxen with what looked like fear. He was hyperventilating but when he had saw it was Aloy that had woke him, he started to calm. 

 

“What?” he sputtered out at first before coughing, swallowing, breathing a little more and starting his sentence again “What’s wrong, are you alright?” of course, he thought something was wrong with her. He saw the glint of the makeshift knife in the moonlight off to the side and looked to her again. “What happened?”

 

“You were being strange in your sleep.” She didn’t know how to explain it but she was going to try her best. “I… I thought you were hurt.” Erend was puzzled, searching her face for some give way for a joke or something, but nothing gave away from the worry that was etched into her features. The moonlight caught her wild hair lovingly, as if it was carding its fingers through it. 

 

“Hurt?”

 

“You were moving. Wriggling about?” she shook her head. “You were making weird noises too.” A simple understanding of mortification dawned on him. He was having a nightmare. Of course. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed, sitting upright fully and drawing his knees up slightly. The cold bit at the both of them like ravenous squirrels and Aloy shivered.

 

“I was having a nightmare. About Ersa.” A strange wave of familiar sadness washed over the both of them. Unbeknownst to Erend, they both experienced nightly reminders of their lost ones. “Sorry,” he croaked, lava-hot tears welling up in his eyes.

 

“Sorry?” she didn’t understand, but she automatically scooted closer to him anyway and put a hand on his knee. “Why’re you saying sorry - it’s alright. It’s alright you know?” she leaned down so she could meet his gaze as he was looking down now. “I get them too. About everything.” she confessed, sitting upright now and cupping Erend’s face to look at her too. “Rost. The machines. Hades.” she smiled softly, stroking her thumb on his cheek. “It’s normal.”

 

“But you’ve been through a lot. I’ve not.”

 

“You watched your sister die in your arms. I’d say that’s a lot too.” he snorted. He didn’t refute her. He couldn’t look at her in the eyes and glanced to the side, sniffling slightly. “Ersa was a great woman. _Proud_. Cared for you and Avad and the Vanguard in the highest degree. She died to keep you safe.”

 

“She died because I _wasn’t there_.” he shot back. “I was fucking stupid. Drunk. A fucking **idiot**.” he hissed, clenching his face and screwing his face up. “I couldn’t be responsible enough. I failed her.”

 

“You couldn’t have known. You’re beating yourself up for something you couldn’t control.” She kept a hold of his face, not letting him go. The cold breezed around them, almost unnoticeable now. “Ersa loved you. She’d hate that you were doing this to yourself.” Erend looked Aloy in the eyes now. They swam with so much sorrow and hate but… not for her. 

 

“I lost her.” he whispered. Hiccup. “I thought I lost you too. I thought…. I thought you were, were going to end up like her. Dead. Because I couldn’t protect, couldn’t help. I couldn’t.. I couldn’t.” she silenced him by placing a finger on his lips and shaking her head. He took her hand away and stared into Aloy’s eyes intensely. “I thought I lost you too.” he swallowed. “The Stormbird.” It dawned on her. Yeah. She could’ve died. “I thought I lost you.” he repeated, now holding her wrists and squeezing gently. “I can’t.” his voice failed him, he couldn’t finish. She understood. Not under his care. 

 

“I’m not going anywhere.” and she meant it. Every letter of every word was soaked in sincerity. They held each other’s gaze, talking with no words. Finally, Erend pulled Aloy into his arms, squeezing her tight and almost crushing the air out of her, but she clung on to him and squeezed back, as if absorbing all of the care and warmth from each other. They held this for quite some time until it turns into a bit for warmth from each other. The stars seemed to dance and twinkle in excitement above them and the moon looked on the scene with its ever-loving gaze. The cold made its presence known again by rolling over them and they both felt it horribly. 

 

“Shall I get the fire going?”

 

“No, I’ll get it.” Aloy was generally quicker with getting the fires started anyway, so the once cold embers now exploded with life as the flames licked up the fresh wood on the pile. There was no wind. Just stillness. The only sounds around them were the scuffles of wildlife and the crackling of the fire. They then resumed their previous position of sleep and gripping on to each other tightly, they both fell asleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well! This is the first work I've ever published! (Please be gentle)   
> I know this chapter is super short but I hope that it's good enough for you to continue reading - may be a couple days up to a week before chapter two (which probably most of that time will be spent deciding on what to name the damn thing) but I do promise it will be way longer than this one, trust me I have so many ideas and simply just not enough time tonight to start getting into them but I want to post something! I also desperately need someone to beta read for me or something, just to make sure everything flows well enough to actually publish - I can't look at my own work without being overly critical. (ಥ⌣ಥ)
> 
> I was incredibly inspired by this game to start writing again and especially after reading Wanderwoman1's fic Journeys Toward Dawn (if you haven't read it yet I recommend you do; http://archiveofourown.org/works/10801140/chapters/23963031 ). So thank you Wanderwoman1 and thank you for reading thus far! I'll probably end up posting silly things down these bits so don't expect a lot of indepth soul talking about the characters :)


End file.
